The EMKP is excited to host a special conference to celebrate our fifth anniversary!
Join us in the Stevenson Lecture Theatre at the British Museum on Thursday 8 June 2023 to commemorate this momentous occasion with us.
The conference will start at 9.30 with an introduction from Hartwig Fisher, Director of the British Museum, and Arthur Dudney, Director of Cultural Pogrammes Arcadia. This will be followed by a series of sessions presented by EMKP grantees as well as a number of displays that will take place outside of the theatre. You can see the list of speakers by clicking on the image below.
While the conference is taking place in the Stevenson Lecture Theatre, there will be displays from EMKP grantees and the EMKP team to enjoy in the Foyer.
ETHIOPIAN COFFEE CULTURE: BARCUMA STOOLS, SOCIALITY, AND STORYTELLING
by EMKP Project Curator Orly Orbach, and LNP Community Partnerships Manager Kayte McSweeney
Jira Choroke’s EMKP project, “Documenting Endangered Traditional Handicrafts: Three Legged Stools and Coffee Culture in Jimma, Southwest Ethiopia” was the starting point for this collaboration between the EMKP and the British Museum’s Department of Learning and National Programmes (LNP). Linking Jira’s project with objects in the British Museum, the EMKP and LNP worked with members of the Ethiopian History Society in London to organise a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony and storytelling session at Harar Restaurant, Vauxhall. This display includes objects and photographs from the event, demonstrating how material culture and knowledge can be used to connect with people and groups across the globe.
DOCUMENTING THE LOST PRACTICES OF KURDISH FELT AND FELT-MAKING IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE ZAGROS MOUNTAINS
curated by EMKP Grantees Renas Babakir and Yad Deen
Changes in fashion, tastes, and industry have caused a steep decline in the historic practice of felt-making among the Kurdish community of Iraq. EMKP Grantee Renas Babakir and her collaborators, Yad Deen and Shirwan Can, have been recording the endangered knowledge and skills of Salim Ali, the last known maker of Kurdish felt in this region. This display showcases some of the objects, materials, and techniques that have been collected as part of this EMKP project, as well as some of the stories and special moments they have
encountered along the way.
EMKP DIGITAL
curated by EMKP Digital Curator Paula Granados Garcia
An interactive display where visitors can learn about the use of digital technology in the EMKP, and see how EMKP grantees have combined traditional audio-visual documentation with more experimental methodologies to record material culture and knowledge. Explore our online repository, get hands-on with 3D models, and experience material knowledge up close through VR and 360 videos.
More information about the conference and displays is available in the schedule below. You can also view the full programme, with abstracts for each of the papers being presented.
The event is completely free to attend but registration is required. Refreshments will be provided throughout the day.
Any queries can be directed to the EMKP Team at emkp@britishmuseum.org.
